This guide, written for teachers and administrators wishing to introduce evaluation systems that promote continued teacher growth and enhance school effectiveness, suggests that meaningful change requires a clear understanding of what is already in operation, substantial skill development, and adequate resources for the duration of the change…

A self-study survey for state postsecondary education planning and coordinating boards are presented. The first section (topic 1) allows respondents to rate 13 general postsecondary education goals on a 4-point scale (i.e., high, medium, low, or no importance/priority for the board). Under topic 2, respondents can rate the role of the state…

A history of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities in Illinois is presented. Nine sections are as follows: governance in higher education (the distant and recent past and roles and responsibilities of governing boards); the context of higher education in Illinois; the board of governors of state colleges and universities:…

Parent involvement in their children's schooling results in improved student performance, attitudes, and self-concepts, along with decreased dropout, suspension, and absenteeism rates. Increased involvement also provides necessary community feedback to the school, encourages positive parent-teacher-student relations, and creates a more informed…

The past and current status of the student activity fee is reviewed from the perspectives of the legislature, state agency or state board of control, case law, and institutional trends. The analysis is based upon four national studies, a review of case law, and a campus model for the administration of student activity fees. Various states have…

This report describes a "third wave" of educational reform that focuses on improving academic achievement and preventing dropping out among disadvantaged children. It contains eight sections. The Executive Summary surveys the dimensions of the at-risk situation and strategies to confront it. "The Scope of the Problem" provides background on the…

Grade retention data were collected from the Campbell River, British Columbia schools to determine the prevalence of retention and its effect on school completion. An extensive survey was administered to 52 parents and 204 educators to assess attitudes towards grade retention. Individual interviews were conducted with eight teachers from various…

The activities and accomplishments of the second year of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission's Performance Funding Project at Tennessee Technological University are reported. The purpose of the Project was to explore the feasibility of allocating some portion of state funds to colleges and universities based on a performance criterion with…

Policies of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education on the outreach program for adult students are outlined, along with procedures to be followed by participating institutions. The program encompasses both noncredit and credit instruction at all levels and may be offered on- or off-campus in traditional or nontraditional formats and time…

Because magnet schools restructure school and district attendance area boundaries in order to achieve racial heterogeneity, they attempt to disassemble the very unit towards which the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter 1 program targets its resources--neighborhood schools attended by poor children. A nine-district survey of the…

A survey of the finance and executive officers of the statewide coordinating and governing boards in the United States and one Canadian province (Manitoba) gathered information on state policy regarding college costs, tuition, and student financial aid. The first part, completed by finance officers, asked specific questions about the…

By conducting a large scale survey of elementary schools across California serving similarly challenged low-income student populations, a collaborative research team (EdSource, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, and American Institutes for Research) sought to find which current K-5 practices and policies are most strongly correlated with high…

A new elementary retention policy was implemented in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in 1981-82. The AISD Board of Trustees requested a three-year study of the impact and effectiveness of the policy. This report describes results from the second year of the study, including the effect of the change in policy on staff development,…

This report presents the results of a New Jersey school district field test of a comprehensive administrator training program. The program's main objectives were to develop a knowledge-utilization approach to the improvement of instruction and student achievement in basic skills, and to develop and test strategies for installing and disseminating…

Criteria for self-study for governing boards of public multicampus higher education systems are presented. For each criterion, questions are presented, along with three response options: "yes,""no," and "do not know or can not judge." A response option for judging the board's overall performance on each criterion is also included. The criteria are…